The Threat Of Cyber-Attacks And Data Breaches On Healthcare Institutions

News in the last few days of a large cyber-attack, in the form of "WannaCry" ransomware affecting many sectors including the NHS in the UK, has caused alarm around the world. In this article, we take a look at why the healthcare industry is a particular target for cyber-attacks and how that industry can prepare for the seemingly inevitable rise in cyber and data breach incidents globally and across the Middle East.

Why are healthcare institutions in the Middle-East particularly prone to data breaches and cyber-incidents?

Data from healthcare institutions is particularly valuable because it contains sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers, date of birth, address details and medical histories.

That data could in theory be sold to companies looking to carry out targeted advertising. However, in more worrying cases, the information obtained is held for ransom (usually by locking data and threatening to delete it) and a demand for payment (usually in untraceable bitcoins) is made. Interestingly, the amount of ransom sought is usually low in value as the success of this crime only works if the victim can afford to make the payment.

As well as the data being particularly valuable due to its sensitivity, there has, in the last couple of years been a drive by the governments in the region, especially in the UAE and Qatar to store all patient records digitally.

There are several ongoing projects at hospitals across the UAE seeking to fully digitise their records. Digitisation of patient records is a clinical risk management strategy; which enables doctors to access electronical patient records and be aware of their full medical history when treating them. Digitisation of records can also improve the flow of knowledge and information across hospitals and clinics so that medical histories can be accessed in multiple locations and medication can be cross-referred.

In April 2017, Salama, a new central database was launched by the Dubai Health Authority (the DHA), which unified all the medical records of five healthcare facilities in Dubai for doctors and patients to access. In April, the DHA announced that 1.4 million records had so far been placed onto that system. As part of a planned digital revolution in the UAE, the DHA aims for the healthcare sector in Dubai to be fully digitised within the next few years.

There are great benefits to the digitisation of healthcare institutions, both from an efficiency perspective and a risk...

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